One size does not fit all

June Thompson, Postmedia News07.13.2013

Linda Bacon, who has master’s degrees in psychotherapy and exercise science, says we should do activities that make us happy, rather than pressuring ourselves to join a gym if we don’t actually want to.

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MONTREAL — Linda Bacon struggled for a long and painful time with body image.

So much so that she went to university to get a master’s in psychotherapy, with a specialty in eating disorders, to gain a better understanding of her “psychological problem.”

“I went back to school to save myself,” the author, professor and researcher told me in a recent conversation.

And save herself she did.

However, the more educated she became (Bacon also earned a master’s degree in exercise science, specializing in metabolism, and completed a doctoral program in physiology with a focus on nutrition and weight control), the more she says she found a disconnect between what the experts say and what science tells us.

She developed a program and wrote a book on the whole thing, dispelling myths and explaining some facts on weight and weight loss.

They’re also controversial. Things usually are when someone speaks out with a different idea than the norm, no?

On the back cover, for instance, Bacon writes:

“Myth: Fat kills.

“Reality: On average, ‘overweight’ people live longer than ‘normal’ weight people.”

And there’s this:

“Myth: Lose weight, live longer.

“Reality: No study has ever shown that weight loss prolongs life.”

The book shows us the scientific proof that led her to those conclusions. And the first four pages are endorsements for Bacon’s HAES (Health at Every Size) program, from sources including exercise psychologists, doctors, lawyers and health educators.

On the front cover, there’s a quote from The New York Times: “In the long run, the Health at Every Size approach works better than dieting.”

One thing that resonates is that we have to change our perception of weight loss. Instead of making thinness the goal, make health the goal.

“You have to take back your power,” the articulate and soft-spoken author told me.

“You must change the tape in your head, and when you do that successfully, wonderful things can happen as a result.”

Bacon says the more we strive for a “thin ideal,” the more it eludes us.

“When you deprive yourself of anything for long periods of time, isn’t that the very thing you focus on and crave all the more, the very thing that leads to bingeing and so on?”

Hunger is normal, she says — deprivation is not.

Sadly, we live in a society that says thin is good, fat is bad. We are besieged with images of what we are supposed to look like, when in fact, we are all very different. As Bacon writes in her book: “Our diversity is what makes the world such an exciting place! We can celebrate size diversity in much the same way we are learning to celebrate cultural diversity.”

In other words: stop judging people.

But its detractors say HAES can be used as an excuse to stay fat.

To those people, Bacon replies that she has compassion.

“People give too much power to what we see physically. We are so much more than that.”

Bacon’s desire is to change our culture’s focus on physical appearance. In her book, she writes: “Many of us have a disturbing preoccupation with food. … Instead of putting our energy into thinking about how we can improve the world, we obsess about how we can change our bodies.”

I asked Bacon to tell me what makes her blood boil. “I feel so sad for people stuck on feeling bad about their weight roller coaster, and such compassion,” she answered. “I know how difficult it is to get off. And I get angry at the world that supports it. But there is also such a sense of hope one can tap into: when people are ready to let go and just accept what is, the possibility of happiness opens up.”

In Health at Every Size, Bacon gives us a step-by-step outline on making changes geared to living healthier lives, no matter where we are starting from.

It begins with compassion. We have to start by being kind to ourselves. There’s a reason why HAES has been called the new peace movement.

Bacon explains our “set point” — “the weight you maintain when you listen and respond to your body’s signals of hunger and fullness,” she writes. “The weight you maintain when you don’t fixate on your weight or food habits. The weight you keep returning to between diets.” Something that we alter every time we diet.

She gives us tips on helping to understand how we eat and how much, and gives us outlines of a healthy diet (eat a mostly plant-based diet, get variety and eat real food!).

We came into this world instinctively knowing how much to eat and when. We can get that back.

As for exercise, she says we should get out there and do things that make us happy. Don’t put pressure on yourself to join a gym if you are going to hate every minute of it; instead, seek out activities that give you pleasure. Try new things: As Bacon points out, getting on a bike or swimming (or other pool activities) can be great ways to appreciate movement.

The biggest misconception about weight loss, Bacon says, is that trying to lose weight will make it magically happen.

“The research actually shows that intentional weight loss attempts through dieting is a very strong predictor of future weight gain,” she told me. “It’s when you give up the struggle to lose weight that your body can find a more naturally healthy place to be.”

As Bacon writes: “This book’s message is that you are the best expert on how to take care of yourself.”

Some of us just have to find our way again.

Health at Every Size makes us look at things in a different light. In a message to journalists at the back of the book, Bacon writes: “Recognize that just because something is conventionally accepted doesn’t mean it’s true.”

An open, non-judgmental mind. That’s what it’s all about.

For more information on Linda Bacon and Health at Every Size, visit lindabacon.org.

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